Structure-property evaluation of trisilanolphenyl POSS®/polysulfone composites as a guide to POSS melt blending

A series of polysulfone/phenyl trisilanol POSS nanocomposites were produced by melt blending by twin screw batch mixing. These materials were then injec- tion molded, and their thermal, mechanical, and morpho- logical properties were tested. The tensile properties of polysulfone were moderately compromised by the addition of phenyl TPOSS, because of the formation of large ( 1 l m) voided POSS aggregates. These domains however did cause the improvement of the impact resistance of the composites as described by the mechanism of crack pinning and bow- ing. Flexural properties remained essentially unchanged, which is attributed to the formation of an aggregate free- skin layer, which formed in the injection molded parts. Thermal behavior of the composites also remained largely unchanged due to the lack of POSS-polymer interactions on the molecular/chain segment scale. Initially, it was hypothesized that a high degree of POSS-polymer interac- tions would be present in these composited based on exami- nation of their chemical structures. This however, was not the case as phase separation was clearly present. This work highlights the need for a better understanding of the predic- tion of POSS-polymer interaction.